Siemens provides UofSC with technology grant valued at $628 Million

In-kind software and hardware grant to help train next generation engineering and
manufacturing workforce

Siemens PLM software and automation and controls hardware to be used in the university’s
McNAIR Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research, creating the first of its kind
university-based Digital Factory

Columbia, S.C. – June, 22, 2017 — Siemens and the University of South Carolina announced
today an in-kind grant of Siemens hardware and software with a commercial value of
$628 million. As part of this grant, Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software
will be used in the College of Engineering and Computing, and in combination with
Siemens automation and controls hardware in a digital factory innovation lab at the
college’s McNAIR Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research. By providing students
with this hands-on experience on software and hardware across the college’s engineering
curriculum and in research programs, Siemens is helping the university further prepare
a highly skilled STEM workforce for the advanced manufacturing industry, including
the aerospace industry, which has experienced an 11.4 percent employment growth rate
in South Carolina since 2010.

“Today’s announcement of a partnership between Siemens and the University of South
Carolina advances our state’s growing reputation as a top destination for manufacturing,”
said South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. “By demonstrating that South Carolina is
home to one of the most highly skilled engineering and manufacturing workforces in
the world, we can attract even more companies who have yet to discover what we all
already know — that there is no better place to do business than in South Carolina.”

Through the in-kind investment, engineering students at the university will now have
access to the same PLM software used by more than 140,000 companies throughout the
global manufacturing industry — including 35 in South Carolina — to design, develop
and manufacture some of the world’s most sophisticated products in a variety of industries,
including aerospace, automotive, medical devices, machinery, shipbuilding and high-tech
electronics. They will also have access to Siemens automation and controls hardware,
the same type of automation hardware found throughout industry globally, and used
to maintain levels of productivity, efficiency, safety, security, flexibility and
uptime. This academic partnership is expected to help students compete for jobs throughout
the world, and aid in building a workforce equipped with the skills needed for the
high tech jobs of tomorrow.

“This partnership with Siemens will position the university among the top universities
in the nation for advanced manufacturing education and research,“ says university
President Harris Pastides. “We’re proud that our researchers and students at the College
of Engineering and Computing, McNAIR aerospace center and the entire university system,
will play a role in discovering new manufacturing technologies and will be better
prepared to take on the jobs of tomorrow in South Carolina and beyond.”

The McNAIR Center, which offers aerospace education, research, outreach and economic
engagement for the more than 500 aerospace-related companies in South Carolina, as
well as the rest of the global aerospace industry, will use Siemens hardware and software
for student research projects. According to the South Carolina Department of Commerce,
the aerospace industry has experienced an 11.4 percent employment growth rate since
2010. Including the state’s four major military installations, more than 55,000 South
Carolinians are employed in aerospace. In total, the aerospace industry has an annual
economic impact of more than $19 billion. The McNAIR Center features robotics and
machine handling, similar to the type of production line found in aerospace companies
as well as a packaging or filling line, assembly line or press line. The new Innovation
Lab will feature a host of Siemens hardware supporting three distinct areas. Those
areas would include a picker robot for handling applications, a roller picker robot
for pick and place applications and a general purpose robot controlled by a Siemens
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).

“In this new era, manufacturers no longer want to just keep up. They are driven to
be the trendsetters by being first to market and initiating innovation,” says Raj
Batra, president, Siemens Digital Factory Division, U.S. “Few industrial segments
have embraced digitalization and technology more than the aerospace sector. Aerospace
companies throughout South Carolina are heavily reliant on automation and digitalization
as well as well-trained employees. Our partnership with the University of South Carolina
will provide valuable experiential training with both software and hardware, providing
the next generation workforce with the skills they need to be successful. Siemens
is proud to help close the skills gap in South Carolina through partnerships with
leading edge academic institutions.”

As software plays an increasing role in the next era of manufacturing, this PLM software
grant is designed to help students realize their ideas by providing accurate information
as the product moves from design to prototype through a streamlined manufacturing
process that provides instant feedback and allows product developers to make adjustments.
The software will be incorporated across the engineering curriculum in both the undergraduate
and graduate programs at the College of Engineering and Computing, as well as being
used for senior capstone projects.

With nearly 500 employees in South Carolina, Siemens has an extensive footprint spanning
energy management, building technologies, power and gas, health care, and digital
factory in the state. The company employs approximately 30 U.S. military veterans
in the state and approximately 3,000 U.S. military veterans nationwide.

Since 2011, Siemens has hired over 2,500 veterans. In March 2017, Siemens committed
to hiring a minimum of 300 U.S. military veterans per year for the next three years,
providing them with additional skills training to make them successful at performing
roles at Siemens’ various U.S. facilities.

About Siemens USA

Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing
on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s
largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a
leading supplier of systems for power generation and transmission as well as medical
diagnosis. With approximately 348,000 employees in more than 190 countries, Siemens
reported worldwide revenue of $86.2 billion in fiscal 2015. Siemens in the USA reported
revenue of $22.4 billion, including $5.5 billion in exports, and employs approximately
50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

About the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a globally recognized, high-impact research university
committed to a superior students experience and dedicated to innovation in learning,
research and community engagement. Founded in 1801, the university offers more than
350 degree programs and is a designated top-tier Carnegie Foundation research institution.
More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of 14 locations throughout the state,
including the research campus in Columbia. With 47 nationally ranked academic programs
including top-ranked programs in international business, the nation’s best honors
college and distinguished programs in engineering, law, medicine, public health and
the arts, the university is helping to build healthier, more educated communities
in South Carolina and around the world.

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